Ship deck structure



April 11, 1950 w 2,503,603

SHIP DECK STRUCTURE Filed March 19. 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 CDFUC:

Mam m ATTORNEY April 11, 1950 H..WILEY SHIP DECK STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1947 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE SHIP DECK STRUCTURE Ralph H. Wiley, Oxford, 'Md.

Application March 19, 1947, Serial No 735,693

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in'boat structures and particularly to improvements in wooden boat structures.

Heretofore, particularly in the commercial art, it has been customary to lay the deck strakes of a wooden boat structure fore and aft'or parallel to the plank sheer or sheer strake. Such a construction requires thwartship deck beams to which the fore and aft strakes are fastened and by which the deck is supported and on which considerable reliance is placed for strengthening and bracing the hull.

As a result of such a construction, internal strains are set up by the cumulative effect of wedging the caulking into each of the seams between the deck strakes andas a-result, any additional stress from the sea, sail or the'like will cause some fastening to let go, resulting in damage to the boat and if nothing else, leaking through the deck.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a deck structure, which will require no caulking and consequently will be permanently tight and which will render unnecessary the ponderously heavy understructure necessary for obtaining rigidity in the boat structure.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a type of wooden boat embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a deck plan view with the deck house and like parts removed;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view, showing the manner of mounting and supporting the deck strakes; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showing the construction of the deck.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, I have illustrated a type of wooden boat in which my invention may be used. The particular type of boat is illustrated as being a whaler cutter provided with the usual hull I, cabin structure, etc. While I have illustrated a whaler type of boat structure, it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to other types of wooden boat structures. The deck 2, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, is made up of deck strakes laid thwartship. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the hull is formed in the usual manner of the planks 3 forming the outer skin of the boat, which planks, as is usual in structures of this character, run fore and aft. These planks are secured to the interior frames 4 which are disposed at pre- 2 determined intervals along the hull and which are secured in the usual manner to the keel 5.

Extending fore and aft of the hull and secured to all of the frames 4 are longitudinal clamps 6, the top surfaceof which is in'the same plane as the top surface of the top'strake of the planking 3.

The deck for the boat is formed of strakes which are sawed or bent to the crown of the deck. The outer edge of each strake is secured to'the longitudinal clamps and in addition is secured to the top edge of the topplank, commonly called the sheer plank. Each of the thwartship strakes is glued and/or nailed to the next'adjacent strip, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the nails'being preferably long enough to extend through two strakes and into a third, although this is not essential.

Where deck openings are formed, I preferably secure beneath the strakes adjacent the free ends of the opening longitudinals, such as 8, which lie below the strakes in the ends of the openings and are secured to the underside of the strakes by bolts, nails or the like. These longitudinals extend fore and aft a suflicient distance beyond the openings and may have additional transverse supporting members 9. These longitudinals and transverse members 3 and 9 may be of lighter material than the clamps 6 and in addition to providing bracing and support for the free ends of the strakes also provide additional clamping neans for supporting the deck houses, hatches, e c.

It is to be observed that-the above construction of the deck eliminates the necessity of caulking and deck beams and provides a practically integral unitary deck structure, lighter and stronger than the usual deck structure and, at the same time, very materially strengthening the entire boat structure.

The ends of the thwartship laid strakes are covered by suitable guard rails l0, each extending fore and aft and glued and/or nailed to the ends of the strakes.

I claim as my invention:

1. A wooden boat structure, comprising a keel, frame members secured at their lower ends to said keel and extending upwardly to provide hull ribs, planking extending fore and aft and secured to said frame members to provide a hull structure, the top edges of the hull planking lying flush with the top edges of the frames, clamping strips extending fore and aft of the hull structure and secured to the inner faces of the frame members with the top lying flush with the top edges 3 of the hull planking and thwartship deck strakes forming the deck for the hull and having their ends overlying the tops of said clamps and the top edges of said planks and secured thereto, the abutting edges of each strake being secured to the next adjacent strake.

2. A wooden boat structure, comprising a keel, frame members secured to their lower ends to said keel and extending upwardly to provide hull ribs, planking extending fore and aft and secured to said frame members to provide a hull structure, the. top edges of the hull planking lying flush with the top edges of the frames, clamping strips extending fore and aft of the hull structure and secured to the inner faces of the frame members with the top lying flush with the top edges of the hull planking, thwartship deck strakes extending between the hull sides having their ends overlying the tops of said clamps and the edges of the planks and secured thereto, the abutting edges of each strake being secured to the abutting edge of the next adjacent strake and guard rails extending fore and aft and secured to the opposite edges of the deck strakes.

3. A wooden boat structure, comprising a keel, frame members secured at their lower ends to said keel and extending upwardly to provide hull ribs, planking extending fore and aft and secured to said frame members to provide a hull structure, the top edges of the hull planking lying flush with the top edges of the frames, clamping strips extending fore and aft of the hull structure and secured to the inner faces of the frame members with their top edges lying flush with the top edge of the planking and thwartship deck 5 strakes bowed to the crown of the deck having their end overlying the tops of said clamps and the top edges of said planks and secured thereto, the abutting edges of each strake being secured to the abutting edge of the next adjacent strake.

4. A wooden boat structure, comprising a keel, frame members extending upwardly from said keel to provide hull ribs, planking extending fore and aft and secured to said frames to provide a hull structure, the top edges of the hull planking lying flush with the top edges of the frames, clamping strips extendin fore and aft of the hull structure and secured to the inner faces of the frame members with their top edges lying flush with the top edges of the hull planking and a deck for said hull structure comprising thwartship deck strakes having their ends overlying the top of said clamps and the top edge of said planks and secured thereto, the abutting edges of each strake being secured to the abutting edge of the next adjacent strake, said deck having a plurality of openings therein, cross beams extending between the clamping strips thwartship on the fore and aft side of said openings and fore and aft beams extending between said thwartship beams on the side of said openings, said fore and aft beams providing supporting means for the ends of the thwartship strakes terminating at said openings.

RALPH H. WILEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 129,982 Paterson July 30, 1872 563,048 Mershon June 30, 1896 

